1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for a riding mower having a wheel-born chassis supporting the operator, an engine for driving at least one of the wheels and at least one cutting means arranged in a front mounted cutting unit that is placed such that at least a part of the cutting unit is situated close beneath the front part of the chassis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Riding mowers of the type mentioned above are previously known, see for instance EP 213096. Such mowers comprise a front part and a rear part. The front part supports the operator, the cutting unit, which is placed in front of the two front wheels, and the engine. The rear part supports the two rear wheels. The two parts are pivotally arranged with respect to one another about a vertical axis and a horizontal axis oriented in the direction of movement. This design gives a neat and easily driven mower having a minimal turning radius. Also, the mower s cutting unit is positioned such that the operator has a good view of the area being cut.
In order to achieve a vehicle that is as compact as possible and to minimize the total length of the mower, the cutting unit is placed close to the two front wheels. However the necessary space for the legs of the operator and the foot control means demands that the chassis extends forward such that it is partly placed above the cutting unit. This means that the lower side of the cutting unit, without being heavily demounted, is difficult to reach for cleaning and maintenance.
It has, for other types of riding mowers with front mounted cutting units on the market, namely such mowers on which the cutting unit is placed completely in front of the chassis, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,907, been suggested to facilitate cleaning and maintenance by making the cutting unit foldable to a mainly vertical position. For this type of mower, a link arm mechanism is used that is fastened to the cutting unit at each side of the mower at the area of the front wheel axis. This means that the turning motion of the cutting unit, depending on the forwardly extending position of the cutting unit, can be made without the cutting unit being hindered by the chassis.
The present invention is directed toward an arrangement that removes the disadvantages mentioned above and makes it possible to move the cutting unit easily to such a position facilitating service and maintenance while maintaining a desirably compact structure.
In accordance with the present invention, cutting means are arranged at a front mounted cutting unit, and the cutting unit is placed such that at least a part of the cutting unit is situated beneath the front part of the chassis. Means are also provided for moving the cutting unit forward with respect to the chassis such that support means arranged on the rear part of the cutting unit engage the ground. The rear part of the cutting unit can then be moved forwards at the same time that the front part of the cutting unit is turned upwards about a first pivot to a maintenance position.